RETURNING
by la letra escarlata
Summary: Rhett comes home for a visit and Scarlett begins plotting how to get him back.
1. Chapter 1

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 1: "Man of Action, Determined Woman"**

_This is officially an independent story but it could be read after my other story, __**"**____Love Is So Short, Forgetting Is So Long." I may end up putting them all together, but, for the time being, let's see them as individual, free-standing stories. Chapter 2 of this story is already in the works._

Rhett Butler certainly was a man of action. Actually, he prided himself as one. It was his cool head and his steel determination that had saved him from a number of situations in his life, during his blockade running days during the war, in his days as adventurer during the California Gold Rush, during his time as a professional gambler in his now remote youth… But as much as he still liked to keep that image of himself as a ruthless adventurer, always ready for danger, never failing to meet his destiny face to face when destiny came knocking at his door, nothing he had ever faced before did not match his present circumstances. What would the intrepid Captain Butler have to say about this middle-aged man who was standing at his home's door, unsure whether to come in or not? Probably he would heartily laugh at his stupidity. Come on, Rhett Butler, the high and mighty Rhett Butler, are you afraid of entering your own home? The man who had met his equal in pirates, ruffians, unsavory characters of all sorts… Was he now afraid of a tiny woman, his own wife, come to that? What was wrong with him? What had happened to his old self? It was just Scarlett, the woman who had driven him crazy for the last twelve years… Resolutely, trying to project an external image of self-confidence he was very far from feeling, Rhett Butler opened the door to his Peachtree Street house, feeling a queer mixture of dread and anticipation.

Scarlett O'Hara, suffering an annoying cold, had decided to stay today at home, breaking her usual custom of going to the store daily to check on her unruly and unreliable employees. Not that they were bad salesmen – only that they never got to do things in exactly the way in which she wanted them done. Was that so difficult to accomplish? It baffled her why people had the annoying tendency to do things in their own way, not in hers, which was indeed more simple, logical and better for the business. And, anyway, wasn't she the boss? Her word should be law, at least in her own store.

Although she had had the ledger brought home to her, she was finding it hard to concentrate on anything due to an impending headache. That Wade and Ella made so much noise playing in the nursery did not help either. Couldn't they be a little bit quieter? She had already reprimanded them twice but to no avail. She was very much tempted to go and yell at them again, only that if she did, Ella would be tearful during dinner and Wade would be sullen, which would make of the meal a sorry affair. No, it would be better to let them get some steam off. And, anyway, today she was not going to get much work done. The ledger was fine and there was nothing pressing to be taken care of today, she resolved, closing the book and standing up.

She moved to the window, while the children's voices became louder. What were they playing that they were so noisy? Not one to pay too much heed to her children's activities as long as they were safe and not too loud, against her better instinct, she paid attention to what they were saying. Uncle? Were they playing uncle again? She hoped not or Wade would hear her. They usually played uncle until Wade made Ella cry for hours afterward. No, listen, no, it was "Uncle Rhett" what they were saying in the midst of their joyous cries and their shouting. Was it Uncle Rhett? Scarlett quickly ran to the door, knowing full well that she was acting stupidly. Most probably, they would only be arguing over the ownership of a given storybook bought by Uncle Rhett, hence the mention of his name. She would feel so silly if she went running only to see them tearing at some stupid book or another. But, if Rhett was home (and it was about time that he made good on his promise and came home for a visit, no matter how short it was!), she did not want to miss any single minute of his stay. She needed to get him back, for herself and for Wade and Ella's sake, who missed him terribly, and for that plan to work, she needed to be around Rhett as much as it was possible, so that he fell in love with her again. Hadn't he eventually admitted that he fell for her the very first time he met her? Surely, if now they spent enough time together, with her new dresses, he would be reminded of how lovely she looked. She only needed a chance to lure him back home and to them. Rhett, could he be home? Waiting for him was so painful…

Panting, Scarlett got to the nursery's room. The door was ajar and there, yes, Rhett was holding Ella in his arms while Wade tried to catch his attention by pulling at his sleeve. He looked better than he had when he left; his face was not so puffy by the alcohol abuse and though still fatter than when she first met him, he was not as broken as a few months before. He looked good, she decided, though there were still dark circles under his eyes.

'Rhett,' she said, a bit louder than she had intended, still out of breath.

'My dear Mrs. Butler,' he said, barely turning to face her. 'It's good to see you again though you look rather pale.'

Damn him. Not one minute together and he had already managed to insult her. Yes, she knew she was not looking at her best today. Because of her cold she had not paid as much attention to her looks today as she should; even her dress, considering she planned on staying at home the whole day and nobody ever called on her anymore, was not new, but an old one that she had bought when she and Rhett were first married. And, of all the men in the world, if there was one to pay attention to those things, it was, of course, her husband.

'I think I am coming down with the flu,' she said, approaching him.

He planted a kiss on her forehead.

'How very inconvenient because Wade, Ella and I were counting on going to the park tomorrow morning, but it will be better that you stay at home then.'

Damn him a million times. He had done it again! Only a minute at home and he had already maneuvered to leave her behind. And, to make matter worse, she could not help but notice the barely suppressed joy in her own children's faces at the prospect of spending the whole morning with Uncle Rhett and without Mother around to spoil their fun. Her own children! She had always known that they loved Rhett better than her but she had believed that, during these long months without Rhett, they had gotten closer. She had listened to their incredibly boring and detailed accounts of their uneventful school days, she had lent an ear to Ella's silly stories about her dolls, hadn't she? Yet, obviously, they had not gotten close enough to compete with Rhett's love.

'We will go anyway, won't we, Uncle Rhett? Even if Mother cannot come with us…,' Ella begged.

Scarlett restrained herself so as not to hit the silly child. Who was going to read her fairy tales when Rhett left again? Scarlett certainly was not, given her appalling behavior today. And to think of the make-believe tea parties she had shared with Ella since Rhett left. Well, there had not been that many, but once or twice she had actually gave in and played with Ella. And this was all the recognition she got! Fuming, Scarlett excused herself and called for Prissy to help her get into a new dress, one especially bought in preparation for Rhett's visit.

As Scarlett got into her massive bed, with a slight headache and a running nose, she went over the dinner in her head. It had definitely not gone the way she had pictured a million times how the first dinner with Rhett back at home would be. To begin with, Cookie had been so excited about the master's return that she had managed to overcook or burn all the dishes with no exception. That Rhett, who was always so fastidious with his meals, had such a welcome home, was inexcusable. It reflected very poorly on her ability managing their household. Without Mammy at home, Scarlett could never get Cookie to cook anything as she wanted her to. Wade and Ella had been unruly, kicking each other under the table, making a fuss over everything… not the well-behaved kids Scarlett aspired to present Rhett with. No wonder Rhett wanted out; if dinner went like that every single night, she herself wanted to leave for good. How was she going to keep Rhett put at home and feeding him meals not fit for animals with the children behaving like little monsters? She had to cope with them, she was their mother, but Rhett had not to.

And she had never had the chance to talk to Rhett alone. They had barely spoken to each other during dinner because of Wade and Ella's talkativeness, and then, Scarlett's comments were just to corroborate or correct whatever the children were telling Rhett about their school duties or their friends. Ella had even told Rhett about the disastrous birthday party that Scarlett had organized for her, making her mother feel like a complete fool because of Rhett's outrageous laughter. Had Rhett been home, he would have been able to tell Scarlett that such a lavish and extravagant birthday party for a little girl was socially inappropriate. Instead, he had a great time hearing Scarlett's foolishness and more when he saw the mortification visible in her face.

How long would Rhett stay this time?, she wondered. If she were lucky, Rhett would stay permanently but if the dismal dinner was anything to go by, her luck was running thin. How many more days did she have to make Rhett change his mind? Her persuasive powers were not what they used to be when she was fifteen and the belle of five counties; not that they had ever worked particularly well with Rhett. If she had at least two weeks… But something told her that that was being overtly optimistic; ten days, maybe? A whole week? How long did she have? Her overexcited mind began to make plans: what she would wear, what she would order for dinner tomorrow night, what she would tell Rhett, if she would send Wade and Ella to Ashley's during the weekend, if she should stay at home or if she could make a quick visit to the store… It was not till several hours later when, finally, her exhausted mind found all her plans to her liking and sleep found her.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**


	2. Chapter 2

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 2: "The Best Laid-Out Plans"**

'I wasn't expecting to see you today, Ashley,' Scarlett welcomed him curtly.

Although her frozen smile and her cold glare were far from being described as welcoming, even by such an unobservant person as Ashley Wilkes was. That he should come today, of all days, with Rhett in the house? Ashley hadn't called on her in weeks and just to think that he may run into Rhett made her shudder. Rhett had left early in the morning, before breakfast and hadn't returned home for lunch but what if he returned any minute now and saw Ashley there? Not that he would be jealous but he would be raging at her afterward.

'I heard Rhett was back and I came to check on you,' Ashley said, not mincing words. 'Is everything fine, Scarlett?'

'Why wouldn't it be?,' she demanded to know.

'Well, I thought…,' Ashley stuttered.

'Thanks for asking,' she glacially declared, 'but my husband's home and everything is going just fine. You know, Rhett's been traveling a lot for business as of late. It's been awful hard on the children but he is home now and Wade and Ella are over the moon.'

'I see,' understanding dawning on Ashley. Scarlett didn't need his help – or appreciate it.

'My, oh, my, but look who is here', drawled Rhett's voice. 'Mr. Wilkes, no less, welcoming me back home,' he said, with barely repressed anger.

Scarlett inwardly cringed. It was obvious that Ashley was not Rhett's favorite person to call on them, especially when he was out, but until now he had always managed to be civil, even courteous, to Ashley. Apparently, those days were over now and Rhett had trouble tolerating Ashley's presence.

'Rhett, nice to see you,' said Ashley, imperturbably and standing up to shake hands with Rhett. 'I dropped by to consult some business details with Scarlett,' he went on, pretending not to notice how Rhett ignored his extended hand.

'Needing help with the mills? I heard yesterday in town that things were not exactly flourishing.'

Ashley got noticeably paler. Typical Rhett, though Scarlett; one day in town and he was already informed about everything worth knowing, including Ashley's financial debacle at the mills. She had gone to bed even before Wade and Ella, so Rhett had with all certainty gone to that Watling creature's place. He did not even have the decency to stay at home for one single night.

'Well, something like that… Anyway, I should get home now. Thanks for all; Rhett, Scarlett,' he said and left.

'You didn't have to be rude to Ashley, you know, Rhett. He has suffered enough.'

'Oh, yes, the poor widower Ashley,' Rhett said, with an evil grin. 'But his sufferings must not be so tough, given that he has the comfort of his beautiful sister-in-law, Mrs. Butler.'

'How dare you,' Scarlett jumped to her feet. 'You rascal…'

'Stop with the invectives, my dear,' Rhett said, raising his left hand. 'I am not up to an argument with you today, lovely as it would be, for old times' sake.

Scarlett fumed.

'I only came to tell you that I won't be enjoying your company for dinner today.'

Scarlett's heart sank.

'Why, Rhett?,' she asked, with more heartbreak than she intended to convey in her voice. Don't be weak, she told herself. Rhett despises weaklings.

'I have a meeting with my banker,' he replied. 'Suddenly so interested in my whereabouts, my dear? My, oh, my, things have changed around here…'

'I was just asking,' Scarlett retorted, mentally berating herself for such an uncomely display of weakness in asking him in the first place.

'It's a pity I didn't tell you before or you could have asked Mr. Wilkes for dinner. He'd have been honored. Tell me, Scarlett, does Mr. Wilkes dine here often? And don't you think of lying to me, Scarlett. I can always extract the information I need from Wade and Ella later.'

'You're so odious, Rhett. Ashley has never dined here since you left. Actually, he does not drop often; hardly ever, if at all. And with Beau.'

'Such a shame he doesn't now that he's free.'

'Rhett, I meant what I said. I don't love Ashley, I haven't in a long time.'

'Oh, yes, still at that. I heard that song before. I see that we haven't changed the little speech you gave me last time…'

'Ok, think of it what you want,' Scarlett gave up and marched towards the door. 'I meant what I said and I won't be repeating it for you to ridicule me again. Good evening, then,' she said, leaving the room with as much composure as her trembling knees would allow her.

Another day with Rhett that was not going as expected at all, Scarlett thought, failing to register the irony that it was because of Ashley that, again, everything had been ruined.

Given that Rhett would not be home for dinner and her cold was getting worse than ever, Scarlett decided to call it an early day and went straight to bed after Rhett had left for the evening, impeccably dressed and groomed. She ran a fever during the night and slept fitfully. Forced to call Dr. Meade, the old physician diagnosed a bad flu, the ailment already galloping in the city, and prescribed bed rest for a whole week.

A whole week?, Scarlett despaired. Rhett would be gone by the time she recovered and got out of her bedroom. How was she going to seduce him with a red, running nose and confined to her bed, coughing as if she were dying and sneezing like crazy? She could not let Rhett see her like this, wearing a rumpled nightgown and with uncombed hair. Not even for five minutes, so the lengthy conversation she had in mind was totally out of the question. How could everything had gone so terribly wrong? Even the best-laid plans did no longer seem to work out as she hoped. Damn flu and damn Rhett Butler for choosing this very week to come!

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**


	3. Chapter 3

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 3: "A Queer Mixture of Anxiety and Excitement"**

Coming home for the second time, Rhett Butler felt anxious about this new visit, the second since he left, and only a month and a half after his previous visit. Before leaving them again, he had told Scarlett and the children that he would be traveling around the world, to Europe most probably and he would not be home in at least three months, maybe four if the complex business dealings that kept him busy and far away from his family took longer than he had expected. What Scarlett insisted on keeping the charade of his travels abroad for the children's sake seemed to him rather pointless. It was one thing to put up a happy face for all of Atlanta to see, pretending their marriage was not on the rocks and it was business alone which forced a man who had spent the last years without stirring from Atlanta all of a sudden roam around the world. But lying to the children did not go well with his innate honesty. Surely Wade and Ella were already old enough to realize that things had been going badly between their mother and Uncle Rhett for some time now. Ella was still young but Wade, much more perceptive, had already in his last visit made Rhett a few comments that made him see that Wade knew that something was amiss between the two of them. Why couldn't they just tell the children that he was busy in Charleston? That would be acceptable for the Old Guard too. After all, everybody knew that his mother was a widow and they would surely understand (or at least, pretend to believe) that she might need her elder son to take care of her affairs. But Scarlett would not accept this; Charleston was not so far as to prevent his coming home for several months at a time and people may gossip why, if his mother needed him so much, he did not move back to his home town with Scarlett and the children in tow. Using Scarlett's store as a excuse would be quite lame.

Rhett was strangely excited at the prospect of returning to Atlanta. He told himself that he was merely looking forward to seeing Wade and Ella again. It was obvious that the two had missed him greatly during his absence. Ella had been a sweet darling during his brief visit and Wade had told him endless stories about his classmates that he could rarely tell his impatient mother. Yes, he told himself often enough so as to believe it himself, he missed the children terribly and it was only because of them that he was returning to town much earlier than expected. Imagine the surprise in their faces when they returned home from school to find Uncle Rhett sitting in the library with Mother, the two in companionable silence or chatting amusedly about the children's school progress! But, whom did he want to lie to? Scarlett and he would probably be at each other's throats by the time the children got from school. If they had not ended up arguing the last time it was only because Scarlett was feeling poorly in her sick bed and he did not dare to upset her too much in her already miserable state. He could go to the National Hotel or at Belle's, to while away the time till the children got home and make it home just in time for supper, but no, he wanted to arrive before lunch so as to see if Scarlett was home or at the store. And, anyway, she always came home for lunch. How would she react upon seeing him there, waiting for her, so unexpectedly?, he wondered.

He certainly did not come home to see Scarlett. He came to keep appearances up, for the sake of Wade and Ella, whom he loved dearly. The rapid pace of his heart as he crossed the threshold had nothing to do at all with seeing the woman who still was his wife. What it was due to, he did not know but a smile crossed his face as he got into the house and his eyes registered the figure of Scarlett coming down the stairs, dressed in an emerald gown.

'My dear Mrs. Butler,' he called out.

Scarlett stopped, as if frozen.

'Rhett,' she happily exclaimed before checking herself – she should not be so enthusiastic about Rhett's visit. 'What a lovely surprise! I figured you in Europe.'

'Change of plans, my pet, and, anyway, I have not moved from Charleston this time. It was just a lie for the children's benefit, and for yours as well, it seems.'

'Oh!'

Yeah, she should have known better than that but when Rhett had finally entered her bedroom during her convalescence from the flu to inform her that he would be leaving in half an hour, she had felt too sick to question his words, too embarrassed by her careless appearance and her disheveled hair to really listen to what he exactly said. Had he mentioned Charleston? Had he explained that this Europe affair was only a lie for Wade and Ella? Maybe he had said it but she had forgotten. The only thing she remembered was hearing the children speak excitedly about what Uncle Rhett may be doing in Europe and where he might be, with Wade pointing out at places in the globe that she had no idea that they even existed. Who would have thought that such a place with the improbable name of Lion existed somewhere in France, she reckoned? Or was it in Italy that it was? Anyway, she could not care less, especially now that Rhett was back home.

'I hope you are feeling better.'

'Much better, thank you for asking, Rhett.'

But, her mind raced, even if he had only been to Charleston this time, hadn't he truly said he would be gone for three or four months at least? That she was sure that she hadn't made up on her own or heard the children discuss. Those words had directly come from Rhett's mouth.

'Any plans for lunch, Scarlett?'

'I just came home from the store.'

'Would you accept my invitation to take you out for lunch? I heard at the train depot that they just opened a French restaurant in town and we should try it out.'

'Oh, yes, I have never been there but I have heard about it too. It is run by a cousin of René Picard,' she said nonchalance.

However, despite her cool voice, Scarlett's heart elevated at the prospect of having lunch out with Rhett. And in the very restaurant she was dying to see but hadn't had the chance to go yet. It was hard being a married woman with an absent husband.

'And, incidentally, our showing off our marital joy to the Old Guard is long overdue,' Rhett added.

Oh, dammit. Why did he have to go and spoil it, when he had been so nice.

'I gladly accept your kind invitation, Mr. Butler,' Scarlett said, walking towards him.

Later, Rhett and Scarlett agreed that the restaurant did not live up to its reputation – or to its prices, come to it – but that the wine was fairly good, especially when compared to the dreadful food.

'It seems that it is our fate never to enjoy a properly cooked meal together these days, Scarlett,' Rhett joked.

'That makes Cookie's food all the more enticing, right?'

'Exactly!'

They laughed together, as they hadn't done in years.

'How long will you stay in town, Rhett?,' Scarlett dared to ask, emblazoned by the good mood Rhett seemed to be in as well as by the two full bottles of wine they had shared.

'A couple of weeks,' he drawled, vaguely.

Scarlett's heart went wild with excitement. That could well mean ten days or seventeen, given Rhett's vagueness, but, if she played her cars well enough, it'd be more than enough to make Rhett indefinitely postpone his departure.

'Scarlett, Captain Butler,' a voice interrupted.

Uncle Henry Hamilton, having lunch with an old fellow, stopped to greet them. It was about time they ran into somebody who knew them, Scarlett thought. It was useless going out for lunch with Rhett if nobody they knew was to see them together. Not that she wasn't enjoying Rhett's company (actually, more than she had expected) but the old cats needed to be fed a good piece of gossip from time to time. It would make matters easier, too, once Rhett moved back to Atlanta. That way, they would see that his return was not out of the blue, but that he had never really left to begin with.

'A cup of coffee?,' Rhett suggested once Uncle Henry had left them, after chatting up a few minutes.

'Oh, I don't know, Rhett. The children are about to get home and…'

Rhett chuckled.

'Anyway, I guess they could wait for us. Ok, order coffee, Rhett, please.'

Rhett laughed uproariously.

'Your selfish side always wins, Scarlett,' he said, but she was having too good a time (and with Rhett, of all people!) to be bothered. Rhett himself did not stop to analyze why if he had been so impatient to shorten his time in Charleston to come see the kids, now he was happy to stay at the restaurant longer with their mother, postponing meeting them.

Coffee and all, including their several stops in the way home to briefly talk to a few of the old cats who usually ignored Scarlett even if they got into her store and who now could no resist the temptation to approach Captain Butler, it seemed to Scarlett that her time with Rhett had been no longer than an instant.

Of course, with Wade and Ella constantly around Rhett, telling him lots of silly things (how didn't they drive him crazy? Scarlett could only endure so much foolish stuff from her own children before her head began to spin, and Rhett was not even their real father), it was impossible for Scarlett to have a private word with Rhett until well after dinner. Admitting defeat, she actually went to her office to enjoy some peace, leaving Rhett all alone to his own devices with Wade and Ella.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**

_Of course, there exists no French city called Lion. It is another instance of Scarlett's ignorance. _


	4. Chapter 4

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 4: "Past Lies, Present Time"**

'Thanks a lot for the presents, Rhett. They were lovely,' Scarlett thanked him profusely once Wade and Ella had gone to bed and they were drinking coffee alone in the library.

'Just a small token of my eternal devotion to my family,' Rhett mockingly said.

'It was very thoughtful of you to bring me anything at all, Rhett. You didn't need to; I mean, it was not necessary that you brought me one as well, considering the circumstances… It was more than enough with Wade and Ella. I certainly did not expect anything for myself. I am touched, Rhett.'

'Well, I didn't bring it for you. What image of their stepfather would the children have had if I didn't bring Mother a gift too? Of course, I felt obliged to get something for you too, for the sake of keeping appearances up in the eyes of Wade and Ella' he retorted.

Scarlett bit her tongue. No, the high and mighty Rhett Butler could not accept her gratefulness; no, he had to go and mock her, being cruel when there was absolutely no need for it. Damn Rhett, always ridiculing her. Anyway, she was not going to let her temper spoil the night, especially since things had been going so well this far, with no barbs, no bad moods, no nasty remarks…

'What a beautiful shawl, Rhett,' Scarlett said, admiring it again. It was obviously very expensive and the rich texture of the silk was delicious to touch. It was so beautiful... She remembered having had one like it, only that it was bright yellow rather than this intense blue.

'Oh, Rhett, I once had one like it. But it was ages ago… It must have been before the war… I wonder what happened to it.'

She suddenly stopped. Now she remembered clearly what had happened with the shawl she used to have – she had made a sash for Ashley during his only Christmas furlough during the war. She also distinctly remembered that that shawl had been a gift of Rhett's as well. But Rhett could not possibly know that, right? How was he to know what had happened to his gift and what she had done with it? Rhett never tolerated any lie, not even a white lie, from anyone, but especially from herself. But did he know?

'Yes, my dear? What did you say? You were saying that…'

Damn him, he knows it, Scarlett thought. How did he always manage to find out these things nobody else knew about? Who could have told him? Who knew it? Only she and Ashley; that much was sure. Not even Melanie had ever had a clue because she had certainly admired Scarlett's shawl but she had never seen Ashley's sash. Scarlett's mind raced. And if Rhett had known it all along for years, why had he never mentioned it before? He had never said a work about it until now, when it was so important that everything turned out fine, that she made no mistake, if she wanted him not just to return for a third visit but for good. His first visit had been a complete failure, she had to admit it – waiting for his return for months just to spend most of the time he was finally at home sick as a dog in bed while he played in the park with Wade and Ella. And now this stupid lie he had caught her in…

'Hmmm…,' he cleared his throat. 'I asked you, Mrs. Butler…'

Now she knew he knew she had remembered it all and could not claim having forgotten what happened to that damned shawl.

'I made a sash for Ashley out of it during his Christmas furlough,' Scarlett gave in and confessed. Wasn't it pointless confessing something to somebody who already knew it, who had known it all along? But so be it, anyway, if that could save the rest of the night for them.

'The truth will set you free, right, Mrs. Butler?,' he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

A puzzled Scarlett, failing to register the biblical quotation, tried to be a good sport in her defeat and to regain her composure.

'So, Rhett, for how long will you be honoring us with your presence?,' she asked and immediately regretted her poor choice of a different topic of conversation. Not only hadn't she intended to ask him about his traveling plans right away; the question itself had come out all wrong, even to her own ears.

'Depends on business deals to be closed in town but don't fret, I'll not make too much a nuisance of myself.'

'I didn't mean it that way, Rhett. It's only that it would be nice for Wade and Ella to know for sure how long you are going to be around. They have missed you terribly.'

Rhett had to muster all his forces to restrain himself from asking of his wife if she had missed him as well. It would only provoke another embarrassing declaration of Scarlett's latest obsession (this time for her husband, no less, gone all the former charm and allure that Mr. Wilkes used to have as a married man and which he had lost in his widowhood), far from any true insight into Scarlett's true feelings in regards to his absence. She might wonder, too, why he had come back so early but she had not dared to ask.

'Wade and Ella have missed me terribly,' he repeated.

'Of course they have, Rhett,' she was quick to remark, believing him to be doubting the veracity of her words.

'And I shall not doubt it,' he replied.

Scarlett sank in her armchair. The day had gone only so well and now they no longer seemed to be able to talk amiably. Maybe it was better to call it a day before things turned out really nasty and they ended up saying things they could not forget afterwards.

'I am so exhausted, Rhett,' Scarlett said, standing up. 'Thanks for such a lovely day. See you at breakfast,' she said, leaving the room.

'Good night, Mrs. Butler,' he said.

Scarlett did not see Rhett's gaze following her out of the room, with something in between respect and admiration. She had outmaneuvered him and left before blindly engaging in a stupid argument, as she would have done not too long ago. Rhett finished his whisky and stood up. Time to call it a day. If he knew Scarlett O'Hara Butler at all, tomorrow would be another long day, he told himself, feeling a queer mixture of anxiety and excitement.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

_How the heck did Rhett manage to know what had happened to the shawl? I leave it to your vivid imagination _;-)_ You may go with Donald McCaig's version of it in _Rhett Butler's People, _if you prefer, though._

_By the way, I am working now on the next chapter but I have more or less outlined how I think the rest of the story is going to turn out and I am thinking of 8-9 chapters and maybe an epilogue._


	5. Chapter 5

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 5: "Old Suspicions, Old Habits"**

'Mother, Mother, how long will Uncle Rhett stay home?,' Ella demanded to know as Scarlett dropped by the nursery in her way to her bedroom after work.

'Yes, Mother, when will he leave? He's already been home for two weeks,' Wade added.

I wish I knew, Scarlett thought. Rhett hadn't given her the slightest hint about it. She had cautiously asked him a couple of times how his business deals were going and his replies, short but polite, had not shed any light on the matter of his permanence. Too bad the children wanted to know from her… Yeah, that's it, she thought. Why hadn't it occurred to her before?

'I don't know, sweetie,' she said, patting Ella's head. 'But why don't you ask him yourself?,' she suggested, trying to make her voice sound as innocent as possible.

'I will, Mother,' Wade volunteered.

'Good boy,' she said, before going to her bedroom, where Prissy waited for her to help her out of her dress and into her dinner clothes. While the maid busied herself rearranging Scarlett's hair into a high chignon, Scarlett looked forward to seeing Rhett, mentally making lists of possible topics to discuss during dinner.

These two weeks had been blissful. Admittedly, she hadn't seen as much of her husband as she would have liked but the city of Atlanta had seen Rhett often enough up and down. Gossip would stay at bay even if Rhett left for another three or four months. Rhett, at least, had never missed dinner with them. Moreover, he had taken Scarlett out for lunch three more times, without counting that last week he already had lunch twice at home with her and on Saturday and Sunday with her and the kids. He had also spent both weekends with them at home and even taken them for a ride last Sunday before dinner. If only the children hadn't gone with them, Scarlett would have made the most of it. Not that she had not done no progress on her own by now – the lunches had served her well for her purposes, alone with Rhett, with no annoying Wade and Ella interfering… Rhett had certainly been nice. Too nice, sometimes, which puzzled her enormously. Was he just the consummate actor of the old days or was he genuinely enjoying her company as much as she did? Whatever the case, that was just what she needed – time alone with him to make him see the errors of his ways in living in Charleston and offer him a glimpse of what he was missing out in Atlanta. Why would he choose to live in Charleston when he already had a lovely family in Atlanta? Certainly, Ella could get at your nerves and Wade sometimes was boring with his talk about books and geography and his newly-found passion, ships, but they could be lovely in their own way. Fortunately, this time the children had been well behaved and charming for the most part, a credit to their mother. Not that she put much store in the joys of family life herself, but she knew that Rhett certainly would appreciate foolish things such as being with them and spending time listening to their silly stories about school and their even more stupid friends. Why Rhett paid so much attention to stupidities like that baffled her but if he enjoyed Wade and Ella's presence as well as hers, so be it even if it meant that she could not try to actively win him back with the children in the same room.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Scarlett went down the stairs and Pork approached her.

'Miss Scarlett, Captain Butler has sent note that he won't be dining here tonight,' he informed here.

Scarlett barely repressed the urge to ask where from he had sent the note.

'Thanks, Pork,' was all she said as she entered the dining room.

Damn Rhett. She was wearing for the first time this particular dress especially for him and now she would not be able to wear it tomorrow for him, for she was sure that Ella would remark that she had worn the same dress two nights in a row! Damn Rhett Butler! Where was he? Surely at that Watling creature's place. That Scarlett had not heard any rumor at all of his resuming his acquaintanceship with Belle Watling or that he hadn't mentioned her at all, did not make her change her opinion that, whenever her husband came later than usual or was out longer than expected, he was with that horrid woman. Certainly Rhett had talked to the bank manager a number of times and in the one morning Scarlett had to go to the store (which she never did unless absolutely necessary when Rhett was visiting), he had dropped by to pick her up for lunch, smelling of nothing like liquor or cheap perfume, as would be reasonable had he been at Belle Watling's.

Enraged at the mental image of her husband consorting with that Watling woman, Scarlett turned around to go upstairs.

'Pork, tell Prissy to bring me my dinner in a tray to my bedroom. I have a headache and I won't be having dinner with the children,' she said.

It was too expensive a dress to be wasted for dinner with Wade and Ella, she resolved.

For once, Scarlett was not wrong about her husband's whereabouts. All the other times during his visit that she had figured him at Belle Watling's, he had always been elsewhere – with his bank manager, with a business associate, with a stranger he had just met, with the fellow members of his days as a fervent Democrat and even once with a Charlestonian whom he did not particularly like when he saw him in Charleston but who made quite a merry company when they were in Atlanta, as he had found. No, all those times he had never been anywhere close to his former residence in the city but today he certainly was.

That afternoon, Rhett, armed with an extravagantly enormous bunch of long-stemmed white roses (the kind of surprise gift Scarlett would have liked), too big, too ostentatious, too expensive for decorum and good manners, his mother would have dictated, had visited his daughter's grave. He had visited it almost daily before he had left Scarlett, more often than not in a drunken stupor, sometimes even in the middle of the night – the guard was sympathetic enough, provided he was given a few coins, and there was nobody in Atlanta who didn't know why Captain Butler came in such a sorry state to the Oakland Cemetery, despite his wife's absence, and pitied him.

He had not come the other time he had come to Atlanta, though. He thought it best not to. His resolve to do the right thing and stand by Scarlett would crush if he were to come to see Bonnie and remember her mother's harsh words, accusing him of her death. That would have been too much to cope with and the risk, too high. But now he felt he was ready to come. Not that he had forgotten Bonnie; he doubted that there would ever be a day in his life when he did not remember her at least once. Her lovely face was the first thing that came to his mind when he woke up and memories of her flooded several more times in the course of the day, invariably catching him unprepared although by now he should know that this was bound to happen any time. Anything could trigger a memory of Bonnie – a dark-haired little girl in the street even if she did not look like Bonnie at all, the smell of Bonnie's favorite meal, a beautiful fair tale book in a bookshop he had once almost bought before he remembered that it would go unread by its intended recipient, a pony trotting down the road (that provoked the bitterest of memories), chocolate chip cookies, a blue velvet dress, a jar of candies in Scarlett's store when he dropped by the other day, a particularly rich cake Bonnie would have loved…

And so he had eventually gone and visited her. Bringing his flask full had not been the best of ideas and he found himself drinking and crying. Afterwards, it no longer seemed such a bad idea going to Belle's. And why not? Why he hadn't gone before? He couldn't remember why he hadn't when it seemed such a good idea to go. Belle was a friend and it would be nice being comforted by a friend. And Belle had the best whisky in town.

And it was this train of thought that had led to this moment, when a worried and pensive Belle Watling looked at the formerly unbreakable Rhett Butler, now slurring his words and barely holding up.

'Monique, help me take Captain Butler upstairs,' she called out to the nearest girl.

He was in no condition to return home tonight. And it was so that Rhett Butler ended up sleeping in his former quarter at Belle Watling's house.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**

_AUTHOR'S NOTE_: _I was going to be naughty and have Cynara, the protagonist of _The Wind Done Gone, _as one of the girls at Belle's but I have resisted. If you haven't read it, _The Wind Done Gone _by Alice Randall is an authorized parody of _Gone With the Wind _which claims, among other things, that Cynara, a mulatto girl was the daughter of Gerald O'Hara and Mammy and Rhett's true love, not Scarlett._


	6. Chapter 6

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 6: "The Long Road Home"**

Rhett Butler felt like hell. His head throbbed and the sunrays hurt his closed eyelids but he could not muster the strength necessary to cover his eyes with his arm or to turn his head away from the sun. The bed was harder than usual. Had Scarlett changed his mattress in retaliation for a perceived offense? But then, he could not hear the clicking of his watch on the nightstand. And this bed was much smaller than his. Cautiously, he opened his eyes and let out a gasp of surprise at seeing his surroundings. This was his room at Belle's. He hadn't slept here in a long time. Then, understanding dawned as he recollected where he had been the previous night and how he had gotten here.

Old habits are hard to break, he thought, getting up on unsteady feet.

'It's been too long, Rhett,' Belle Watling greeted him as he entered the parlor. 'Come and have a cup of coffee, anyway,' she offered the steaming coffee pot.

'I've really got to leave, Belle, sorry,' he said.

'Any other time, then,' she accepted with good grace and saw him leave.

Rhett wished Scarlett weren't home to see him arrive. It was almost noon and his rumpled suit was announcing that he had spent the night out. Why he should care that Scarlett knew he had not slept at home? He had done it before and she never cared. But now he just wished he could get to his bedroom and change his clothes before lunch without her seeing him. That wish, however, was not granted as the door to the library opened as soon as he closed the entrance door. Hadn't he been busy berating himself and cursing this coincidence in silence, he would have immediately realized that Scarlett had been waiting for him and had seen come from the library windows. But his agitated mind did not register any of this. He also ignored that, that morning Scarlett had entered his bedroom to check if he had slept there. She had never done that before in all their years of marriage but now she could not resist the urge to. And, anyway, she guessed there was no harm in it and, better than that, nobody would ever be none the wiser. If Rhett had slept in his bed, he would have gotten up and left long ago, so there was no chance of finding Rhett still there.

'Rhett,' Scarlett said.

'Good morning, Mrs. Butler,' he said and stopped in his tracks.

Scarlett said nothing. What is hurt in her eyes that he saw? But why should it be hurt? It had never been there before when he hadn't slept at home and God knew that there had been plenty of those times in the past. But now it was – hurt and raw pain. Why this time? Why was this time any different from their past?

'I'll see you at lunch, Scarlett,' he said, unable to come up with anything better to fill up the uncomfortable silence between them.

'I'm going to the store. Actually, I was about to leave,' she said and Rhett did not comment on the fact that she didn't wear a hat or her gloves.

'See you at dinner, then,' he said as he made his way up the stairs.

Damn him, Scarlett thought, furiously putting on her gloves. If he did not have the decency to sleep at home, she would not stay here for him. A visit to the store would suit her and, anyway, things always ran more smoothly for a couple of days after she had reprimanded the clerks.

Scarlett sulked the rest of the afternoon. The unlucky clerks who had had the misfortune to be playing cards when Scarlett got into the store, even angrier than she had been when she had left the house because of the heavy rain that threatened to ruin her carefully plaited hairdo, would surely remember for months the rage of Mrs. Butler and her furious scolding. The store did not help her at all in lifting up her spirits; with the incessant rain this whole week, sales had gone slowly and, to make matters worse, the supply of fabric had not arrive yet and the order of sugar had not been done even though there was less than a quarter of a sack left. Look at what happened when she was stupid enough to stay away from the store to be at home with Rhett when he came. Damn Rhett Butler, Scarlett thought.

Scarlett was determined to have dinner in her own bedroom tonight too. Her feet hurt, she was soaked wet and her temper was worse than ever. However, she changed her mind when she heard Rhett's voice mingled up with the children's in the library. Any moment spent in Rhett's company was precious and a change to impress him. So even though she did not usually see the kids but go straight to her bedroom, today she went into the library.

'Hello all,' she greet them with a joyful tone, swallowing her anger at today's events.

Engrossed in their game, Wade and Ella barely looked at her. Rhett, however, looked up and greeted her.

'Good evening, Mrs. Butler. Did you have a nice visit to the store?'

'Actually, no, Rhett,' she said, taking the nearest seat. 'Everything was in a dismal state,' she began and without knowing what she was exactly doing, she told him all that had happened, as in the old times. It was good to have a sympathetic ear to listen to her business problems and Rhett's laugh when she reported him how she had told off her employees had been really comforting.

'Uncle Rhett, uncle Rhett,' interrupted Ella. 'Will you stay for dinner?'

'Of course, sweetheart.'

Scarlett's smile broadened. Having children was basically a big nuisance but sometimes it had its good uses.

'I better get upstairs to get dressed,' Scarlett left with a grin. Today her new dress would not be wasted.

'At last!,' Rhett exclaimed when they were alone after dinner and were drinking coffee.

Scarlett could not help to remark on Rhett's previous comment. He, who had always been so tolerant of the kids' presence, now seemed genuinely relieved of getting rid of them, very much like she herself was feeling.

'You were so absorbed in the game that I thought you would hate seeing them go and interrupt your little competition.'

'A man needs more adult entertainments from time to time, my dear,' he said, pouring both of them a glass of brandy. 'To the store!'

'To your visit!,' Scarlett said and regretted it at once. Would it spoil the rest of the evening?

But Rhett didn't seem to mind at all, she observed, as he sipped his drink absentmindedly.

'Wade asked me this afternoon when I was leaving,' Rhett said, taking a seat next to Scarlett's. much to her pleasure.

'Oh, the separation is being really hard on Wade and Ella. Ella misses you, of course, but Wade is growing up so fast and he no longer needs his mother around, Rhett…,' she rambled.

Rhet had on the tip of his tongue a nasty remark about Scarlett never having being much around her children, whatever their needs or their ages but he restrained himself. Scarlett was obviously making an effort to have a pleasant night in spite of the foul mood in which she had come home from the store, so it wouldn't do to ruin it all now with a disagreeable barb.

'Not that my father was ever helpful to me as a boy and I saw him everyday,' Rhett confided in one of his unusual references to his childhood. 'Anyway, I see your point, Scarlett. Wade is turning into a fine young man.'

They stood silent for a few moments.

'So how long are you staying with us this time?'

'I don't know yet,' he admitted.

'Is this what you said to the children or the truth? Last time we had you in Europe.'

'It's the truth but I'll tell you my plans as soon as I figure them out,' he promised. It was more than he had intended to say, never willing to tie himself to anything more than absolutely necessary.

'Thank you, Rhett.'

'Would you like me to stay, Scarlett?,' he suddenly asked, surprising both of them. This was more than he had planned to say. Whatever his ideas about how the conversation was going to go, it was not this way.

'Rhett, you know, certainly Wade and Ella too…'

'I am asking **you**, Scarlett,' he interrupted her harshly. 'Wade and Ella have already begged me to stay every single day. And several times a day, too.'

Scarlett felt suddenly proud of her children. Well done! Rhett would find it harder to make Wade and Ella unhappy or disappoint them.

'Yes, I would like that very much, Rhett,' she confessed timidly.

'Good,' he said and then kissed her passionately.

Scarlett was out of breath when he broke the kiss and stood up.

'Good night, Scarlett. See you tomorrow,' he said, leaving her, baffled and almost wondering if it had not all been a very vivid dream. No, not even in her wildest dreams could she imagine the ardor of Rhett's kisses, she thought, touching her swollen lips with the tips of her fingers.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**


	7. Chapter 7

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 7: "A Kiss is Not Just a Kiss"**

The following morning Scarlett's agitated mind could not stop pondering about the meaning of Rhett's unexpected kiss. As she combed her hair before Prissy came in to help her get dressed, she could not stop smiling either. Last night she had slept peacefully, happy for Rhett's kiss and even though she now kept no clear memory of her dreams, she was sure that Rhett had occupied a prominent place on them. But the night's peacefulness had faded and was replaced with unrest in the morning. She hardly paid any attention to Prissy's many mistakes this morning, scolding her only twice and she felt as if in a daze when she took her seat for breakfast. Rhett, however, though gentle and polite, did not seem to have changed at all after last night – no loving greeting, no good morning peck in the cheek, no special comment addressed solely to her and not to the children, no nothing… In short, he was his usual self. Scarlett felt utterly disappointed about it. This was like the days during the war all over again, when he could be so insistent in his attentions one day to then go for weeks treating her in a brotherly manner, with no mention to anything improper at all.

Don't be so pessimistic, she told herself. Look at her now, raining on her own parade. No good at all. Rhett would come round, just wait and see.

Wait and see was all Scarlett did for the next week. Rhett spent more time than ever with Wade and Ella, so a repeat of that kiss was out of the question. Not that he gave any sign of being willing to kiss her again, either. Oh, this was so very frustrating... She was almost beginning to believe that Rhett's kiss had been nothing but a very vivid dream, but it hadn't, had it?

On the bright side, Rhett around town had been widely reported by the local busybodies and the old cats, while not exactly befriending Scarlett again, were a bit more amiable. Mrs. Elsing, for one, had even chatted up with Scarlett for almost half an hour when she came into the store to buy white ribbon for a nightgown for her newest grandchild (almost making Scarlett yell for her to stop talking – she didn't even pay attention if Fanny's new baby was a boy, as her husband wanted, or a girl, as Mrs. Elsing had been convinced that it would be).

Wait and see, she told herself first thing every morning and last thing every night. At least Rhett is still at home and with no sign of leaving anytime soon, she sighed, as she got into her massive, lonely bed.

That night, Rhett suddenly felt the unexpected urge to follow Scarlett into her room. And why not?, he asked himself. Why wouldn't he? Or, more to the point, why at all shouldn't he do as his heart wished? Estranged or not, Scarlett was still his lawful wife and they had not even made a good job at being estranged as of lately, come to that. They had been playing the perfect family role for the benefit of Atlanta's gossiping tongues for so long that he figured that something of the pretence might have rubbed off. He had been home for… How long had it been already? Almost a month and a week to the day. The charade had been up for too long for him not to feel anything for Scarlett's presence again. It was lovely to be close to her. More than lovely, it was definitely exciting and he was thrilled to see if that aspect of their life together that was currently being left out was as good as he remembered it.

With a determined stride, projecting an outer image of self-confidence he was very far from actually feeling, Rhett went to the door to Scarlett's bedroom and knocked, opening the door just as Scarlett gave him the permission to.

Startled to see Rhett in her bedroom, Scarlett, sitting in her love seat, stood up suddenly.

'Rhett…' was the only word that could come out of her lips before Rhett claimed them in a passionate kiss.

Scarlett woke up alone in her bedroom, barely covered by the rumbled and disregarded sheets but her loneliness did not surprise her at all. Sometime in the middle of the night, although half asleep, she had sensed how the bed moved under Rhett's weight as he got up and, trying not to disturb her sleep, had left for his own bedroom. She still could hardly believe what had happened last night between them, the feelings that Rhett had stirred up in her, the sensations she had only experienced once before last night. Of course she had made lots of plans in her mind to win Rhett back and, moreover, to bring him back to her bed but not even in her most daring schemes could she imagine such an outcome. He had come round and with almost no effort on her part!

Still smiling broadly, Scarlett joined Rhett and the children for breakfast.

'Good morning, Scarlett,' Rhett greeted her with a grin.

'Good morning,' she replied, barely listening to Wade and Ella's excited voices. Uncle Rhett had promised them that he would take them all to the park later today. Oh, if only it weren't Sunday and they could be at home alone with the children at school…

But it being Sunday and Scarlett not wanting to spoil her good mood, or Rhett's, come to that, she accepted it all with grace although she preferred to stay at home instead of going with them to make sure that, for once, Sunday lunch was correctly prepared. She also needed her time to take a bath too and choose a special dress for the occasion. And, all things considered, it was not such a bad thing that today was Sunday and the children were at home, for she hardly knew what she was going to say to Rhett when they were left alone, she fretted all through the morning.

Eventually, she didn't need worrying, Scarlett reflected later in the day. Rhett's approach to the matter had been not mentioning it at all in the brief moments during the day when they had been alone and, anyway, most of the day was spent in the company of Wade and Ella. Though most unwilling to talk about such delicate matters in the open, even with her own husband, Scarlett could not help but wonder the nature of Rhett's silence. Had it meant nothing for him? Was he taking her for granted, as he would take one of those hideous creatures whose company he was so fond of frequenting? Oh, the very thought made her blood boil. That couldn't possibly be, could it? No, it was better not to think about it right now. Better to let things stay as they were right now, unspoken and amiable.

Though Rhett had not said anything in any sense, Scarlett was not too surprised to see him return to her bedroom that night again. He only knocked softly once before entering, without waiting for her to speak, and came to the bed. Scarlett would kill herself before telling Rhett that but secretly she congratulated herself on the choice of her new peach-colored nightgown. It had been a good thing to purchase it, after all.

It was simply amazing how easy it was being getting used to Rhett's presence again, Scarlett reflected as she watched him play cards contentedly with Wade and Ella in the nursery. After so much time alone, much as she wished Rhett back, she thought she would find it strange to welcome him back into her bed. She was so used to sleeping alone now. The odd couple of times Ella had gotten over her fear of Mother to go to sleep in Scarlett's bed, frightened by a storm or by a loud noise downstairs caused by a careless and stupid servant, Scarlett had found it most uncomfortable the presence of another body in her bed, no matter how massive it was. But it was so easy to sleep with Rhett and it was so very nice to cuddle with him in the mornings…

Technically Rhett still kept his own bedroom and it was there where he dressed and undressed but he never failed to come every night to Scarlett's bedroom, not even bothering to knock anymore – he knew with all certainty that Scarlett would be waiting for him. All in all, these two past weeks had been absolutely blissful. Rhett still hadn't said a word to acknowledge their current sleeping arrangements but she didn't care in the least, as long as the situation stayed the same.

Then Pork came in to announce that dinner was to be served and Wade and Ella ran downstairs.

'Scarlett,' Rhett told her as soon as they were out of hearing. 'We need to talk,' he said, touching her arm.

Scarlett's smile froze in place. Rhett sounded serious, too serious for it to be anything good. Was he leaving her again?

'Yes?,' she asked, her voice trembling.

'Did you see that I got a telegraph right after lunch?'

'Yes, and you said it was just a silly piece of business.'

'Actually, it wasn't that. It seems that my mother had a stroke last night.'

'Is she all right, Rhett?'

'She's putting up a brave face, I'm sure, but my sister's telegraph was very brief and quite alarming, to tell you the truth.'

'Oh…'

'I'm telling you this now because I'm leaving in the first train tomorrow morning. I wanted to tell you before I told Wade and Ella after dinner. I didn't want to spoil the day.'

'Do you want me to go with you, Rhett?,' she volunteered.

Scarlett's very vague memories of Charleston when she had been a seventeen-year-old widow, with baby Wade Hampton and Prissy in tow, were not particularly pleasant and Mrs. Butler, whom she had only seen once, at Bonnie's funeral, had seemed to her an imposing and a bit frightening figure, but she would happily go if Rhett wanted her with him. Anything that Rhett wanted from her, she would do.

'I think it's better that you stay at home, Scarlett. I don't know how long I will be gone and Wade and Ella need you.'

Little as she wanted to go, Scarlett felt a stabbing pain and being left behind – why did Rhett purposefully exclude her from his life when things had been going so well between the two of them these past weeks? He surely could use her support in Charleston. And with a single blow, he had also killed her hopes of a brief absence.

'Oh, I see…'

'I'll write to tell you when I'm coming home,' he promised.

Scarlett felt a little better already. That would be a first for Rhett when he was away.

'Mother, the dinner is ready…,' Ella yelled from downstairs.

Rhett offered Scarlett his arm.

'We better go before they starve,' he joked.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok, I know it's a bit frustrating to have Rhett come and go so much but, remember, that's **_**Gone With the Wind **_**for the most part.**

**About the lack of a proper love scene, I may go into it with more detail and re-post the new version of the chapter later but I don't know yet. It is more in the **_**Gone With the Wind **_**style to leave it at readers' imagination – come on, guys, I trust your vivid imagination. **


	8. Chapter 8

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 8: "Surprising Return"**

For the next three weeks, Scarlett was always short-tempered, always ready to snap at Wade and Ella or at the servants for any minor misbehavior. Rhett had written once, at least, to say that his mother was doing just fine, only that his sister was taking it all much more seriously than it really was. Still, no further word from him about whether he would be returning anytime soon or not. She should have insisted more on her going with him, maybe using the excuse of visiting her own maternal aunts, Eulalie and Pauline, whom she had not seen in close to twelve years by now (and whom she really had no interest in ever seeing again, truth to be told, but they would have made plausible excuses for her going with Rhett to Charleston). Without Rhett, she did not know what do with herself to keep her mind busy. Not even the store brought her any joy these days. If she only still had her mills… Last week, after months of hearing Wade and Ella complaining because Beau hadn't come home to play with them for ages, she had eventually and rather reluctantly invited Ashley and Beau to come over for dinner. A big mistake, it had turned out to be. Not only was she afraid of what Rhett's reaction to it would be once he knew (and he would learn from it, for surely Wade and Ella would want to tell Uncle Rhett it all about Beau's visit) but hearing Ashley's dull explanations as to why the mills were faring so badly had broken her heart in a million pieces. She almost wanted to cry for days afterwards. Her beloved mills, so abused and going bankrupt now…

That first Ella and then Wade had caught a bad cold which resulted in her having both of them home for most of these three past weeks did nothing to improve Scarlett's mood during Rhett's absence. Well, at least this time she didn't have to lie to them about Rhett's whereabouts or the reasons why he couldn't be at home with them. Which was far from meaning that they didn't complain about his absence or endlessly inquire when he was expected to come back.

On Tuesday, when she eventually could send both Wade and Ella off to school, she decided to go to her dressmaker and order a couple of new dresses as well as some new silk nightgowns of the kind she had not bought for years. These tasks taken care of, she went to the store in the hope of working on the ledgers peacefully but she was constantly interrupted by a number of people, including by Mrs. Merriwether, who had come to store and requested to personally greet Scarlett, which forced her to leave her office at the back of the store and chat endlessly with the old matron until she had chosen a yard of green velvet the exact match of the color of the dress she was making for Maybelle's youngest.

Finally relieved to get rid of the old cat, Scarlett decided to call it an early day and take the ledgers home with her, entertaining herself all the ride home with the expectation that maybe today she would receive a letter from Rhett announcing his return in a couple of days' time. That hope was quashed miserably as soon as she arrived home, though, as she saw that the silver tray where all her correspondence was put, lay empty. Tiredly, she made it upstairs to her bedroom, taking mental note hat she should scold Pork for having failed to come meet her upon her arrival.

Once in her bedroom, Scarlett was heading towards her closet when she stopped suddenly. That was Rhett's robe that was at the bottom of the bed, neatly folded next to Rhett's pajamas. But what could it be doing there? Rhett hadn't slept in her room for years, at least not so openly, despite what had happened between the two of them before he left for Charleston. Then she noticed that Rhett's clothes had been moved to the closet too, where his suitcases had been stored, now empty.

'I see you're back home, Mrs. Butler,' Rhett's voice welcomed her.

Scarlett turned around to see him standing at the threshold and before she knew what she was doing, she had already run to his arms. Rhett embraced her, pleased with her enthusiastic welcome.

'Oh, Rhett, I didn't know you were coming today or I wouldn't have gone to the store.'

'I have just arrived and I wanted to surprise you all.'

Yeah, you all. Of course, Wade and Ella too, Scarlett thought, her enthusiasm a bit curbed by now. Don't be stupid, she told herself. Rhett is back. That's all that really matters.

'If your mother ok, Rhett?,' she asked. She had almost forgotten all about her mother-in-law in the frenzy for welcoming Rhett. Rhett wouldn't have forgiven her for not asking after his mother's health, given how close he was to his mother and sister.

'Actually she is in much better spirits than I've seen her in years,' he said, smiling broadly. 'She has taken the train this morning to go visit some relatives of hers in Philadelphia with my sister-in-law.'

'Is it sensible to let her do that so soon after her stroke?'

Rhett was deeply touched by Scarlett's concern.

'Oh, she's hard as nails, the old Mrs. Butler, don't worry about her, Scarlett, she'll be fine. And my sister-in-law, Edith, will make quite a capable nurse.'

'I'm so glad she is fine, Rhett.'

'It's certainly a relief to see her well and around,' he admitted and kissed her on the forehead, disengaging himself from their prolonged embrace. 'My sister, Rosemary, as I suspected, exaggerated a bit about the seriousness of my mother's stroke. She meant well but Rosemary has this tendency to…'

Sitting down on the loveseat, Scarlett stopped listening as Rhett went on talking about his sister. Why did he have to waste their precious time alone talking about his boring spinster sister? Not that they had so much time alone – Wade and Ella would be back home in half an hour. And, anyway, Scarlett had never met Rosemary – nor had she any desire to. She could not care less about the doings of a person she had never been introduced to. She idly played with the lace in her right sleeve while Rhett told her yet another anecdote about Rosemary and he going out for a walk in the pier and running into a lady whose name she hadn't caught. Something about a boring ball that Rhett had attended in Charleston a million years ago…

'So, now that my mother was gone, I thought it would be a great idea to invite Rosemary to come with me to Atlanta while Mother was visiting in Philadelphia with Edith.'

If he expected any encouraging word from Scarlett, urging him to write to Rosemary immediately and instruct her to please come, he could wait in vain, Scarlett thought. She could hardly put with Wade and Ella's presence now that she was trying her best to get Rhett back for good, and they were her own children! Having a sister-in-law at home to entertain would be hell. What in the world would she need Rosemary here for? Just another nuisance, that's what she would be. She had two sisters herself – one she had never been and another one whom she hated. A sister-in-law was bound to be much worse.

'I'm sorry she couldn't come with you, Rhett. Maybe next time,' Scarlett said.

'Actually, she could.'

'Pardon?'

Shock registered in Scarlett's face.

'She has come with me. She occupies a room at the end of the corridor.'

It took all of Scarlett's might to be able to leave her frozen smile in place.

'Really? Oh, Rhett, I had no idea at all that she was already here,' she tried to amend her previous mistake. 'Shall I go see her right now?,' she volunteered.

'I think she was going to take a nap, so no need for it by now, Scarlett. I'll introduce you two later.'

Scarlett felt her heart sink. When things were going so well, now this meddling, bothersome sister-in-law!

Definitely, Rosemary Butler was nothing to look at, Scarlett reflected over dinner. Too masculine for her liking, the resemblance to Rhett was quite astonishing. Her manners were rather blunt, not the comely behavior one would expect from a proper Charlestonian lady, the daughter of the picky Mrs. Butler, nonetheless. Her overbearing ways intimidated Scarlett a bit. Rosemary had been here less than a day here and she was already giving orders to all the servants as she owned the place and that even though it was Rhett's house! Talk about feeling at home. Scarlett couldn't even imagine how she must be at the Butler residence in Charleston. Another very good reason for never visiting there, or, at the very least, for staying at a hotel if they ever went. Even staying with her fastidious aunts would be preferable to having to endure Rosemary's presence any minute longer than necessary.

Wade and Ella hadn't taken too kindly to their "auntie Rosemary," as she had insisted that they called her. The lavish gifts that she had brought them had enthused the children for about five minutes before privately complaining to Mother about the unsuitability of the presents – the books Rosemary had bought for Ella were too childish and Wade was past caring for the obviously expensive toy train he had received. That Rosemary loved to hug and kiss the kids hadn't sit too well with them either. It was no surprise, then, that Wade and Ella went to bed diligently at their appointed bed time without needing to coax them to, instead of begging to stay for another half an hour, as had become their custom ever since Rhett had come back home. Tonight, however, not even the excitement of being reunited with Uncle Rhett (whose gifts had been, as usual, just perfect) could persuade them to stay in the presence of his horrid sister any minute longer.

Fortunately Rosemary did almost all the talking on her own and didn't even need much in the way of a contribution to her lengthy monologues, for which Scarlett felt really grateful. That did not mean that she hadn't gotten a headache in the process but, at the very least, it saved her the trouble to make her sister-in-law feel welcome and at home. Rosemary felt too much at ease to be there to notice Scarlett's growing discomfort or the children's animadversion, or even Rhett's amused glances at Scarlett over dinner.

It was funny how anxious Scarlett had been for Rhett to stay as long as possible the last time and how eager she now was to see the back of his beloved sister, she reflected that night in her bedroom after wishing Rosemary goodnight. How long Rhett would stay this time, she had absolutely no clue of. Maybe forever. After all, he had been really comfortable here the last time and wouldn't have left if it hadn't been for his sister's telegraph urgently summoning him to Charleston. And they were even sleeping in the same bedroom again and Rhett had definitely moved into her bedroom now. Wait and see, she told herself, as the door opened and Rhett entered. Scarlett smiled to him; she could endure Rosemary's presence and her incessant chitchat and even be gracious about it, knowing that at night Rhett and her would share a bed.

Scarlett stretched herself as the first sunrays caressed her eyelids. She yawned, although she hadn't slept this well for years, without any nightmares and without waking up in the middle of the night for motives she could not put her finger on. Scarlett moved her head towards her left. As always, Rhett had gotten up earlier than she. Not that she expected him to be still in bed; Rhett had always been an early riser. In any case, it was comforting to see the rumpled sheets on his side of the bed and the form of his head still impressed on his wrinkled pillow. Their bed, actually, no longer her bed, she immediately corrected herself. In any case, it was strange that it was small things like this, such as not waking up in an empty bed, the ones that made such a big difference. Things she had not noticed before when she and Rhett had first lived together, like the few possessions of him scattered through the room, now made a world of difference, marking that this no longer was just her bedroom but theirs.

Oh, she loved Rhett so much… Even though she had thought that she could not love him any more when he had left her after Melanie's death, now she knew that she loved him more than ever before. It was not a love born out of sheer desperation, an unrequited love, but the love created by living in harmony day after day, taking care of the children together, sharing the daily occurrences… She was dying to tell Rhett how much she loved him but she did not dare to. Not yet, in any case. Would he think that it was just another ploy to get him back for good? No, that thought was all too horrible. He couldn't be willing to believe such a horrible thing about her, especially not now that they were getting along so well. He must know that she was speaking the truth when she decided to declare him her love anew. There was no doubt in her mind that she truly loved him, genuinely, not as she had deluded herself into believing that she was in love with Ashley. Oh, how much she loved Rhett… He had to believe her. She didn't know when she would tell him again, but before she did she had to make sure that there would be no doubt in his mind that she was telling him the truth.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**


	9. Chapter 9

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 9: "Three Is Way Too Much"**

'I can't imagine why a woman would choose to spend her time in this dusty and awful store instead of being at home taking care of running her own household and minding her husband and her children, especially if she has a husband like my brother Rhett, mind you,' Rosemary let Scarlett know her opinion about the matter, an opinion Scarlett was far from having asked her about.

The two sisters-in-law were at Scarlett's store, where Rhett had insisted Scarlett take Rosemary. Alleging pressing business matters that forced him to see his bank manager urgently and which would prevent him from spending any time with Rosemary today, Rhett had urged Scarlett to take his sister with her when she went to the store to pick up the ledger. Scarlett would have given Rhett a piece of her mind about why she could not bear to be in the same room as Rosemary for a minute longer than strictly necessary but Rosemary had been present when Rhett had asked Scarlett, who found she had no way out but to bring Rosemary along. Of course, Rosemary could have been just polite enough to refuse Rhett's invitation but no, she had been enthusiastic about seeing "dear Scarlett's little shop."

If Rosemary was not obnoxious enough at home, making a nuisance of herself by ordering the servants around (Pork had threatened to resign and Prissy had taken ill to her bed to avoid helping Rosemary dress up, for she could not suffer Bess, Rosemary's own maid), at the store she was tenfold worse. Scarlett's clerks for sure would no longer complain so bitterly or so much about their boss's pickiness – Rosemary, they had now realized, would be a nightmare to work for, compared to Mrs. Butler's manners, which now seemed most courteous and mild. The pleading looks on their faces for Scarlett to come rescue them from Miss Butler's scolding tongue made it clear that they were secretly praying that, should anything happen to Mrs. Butler, it wouldn't fall on her sister-in-law's footstep the task to run the store.

Scarlett heavily sat down on a hard, wooden stool while Rosemary toured the store, in no need of any encouragement to continue finding everything at fault – the storage system, the shop windows' display, the dusty selves at the back of the shop, the organization of the fabrics by color and not by material, the non-existing selection of books, the clerks' looks, the poor lightning over the hammers… Had not Scarlett kept the ledger firmly grasped in her own arms, she was sure that Rosemary would have also found something lacking in some way or another, Scarlett sighed.

As the door opened, Scarlett raised her eyes, hoping that it would be somebody to temporarily rescue her from having to pretend to listen to Rosemary's annoying talk. The eager looks of the clerks gave way that they felt very much the same. On the other hand, Scarlett expected fervently that it wasn't one of the old cats. It would be an embarrassment to have to introduce them to her sister-in-law, not to mention that she would not put it above Rosemary to say something horribly offensive that would deeply mortify Scarlett to no end for years to come. As the event would be widely reported, the fault for any insulting remark on Rosemary's part would be Scarlett's.

Rhett, on normal circumstances, would have been utterly mortified too to be losing face in the eyes of the Old Guard, only that, with Rosemary, normal circumstances no longer seemed to apply to Rhett – for Rhett, his little sister could do nothing wrong. Rhett and Scarlett had already had an attempt at an argument only yesterday afternoon because of Rosemary being such an annoying person and Rhett stubbornly refusing to see it when Ella had pointed out and Scarlett had agreed to it, a little too vehemently, as it had turned out. Hurt by the poor welcome and the ill regard in which he thought "his beloved little sister," as he had put it, was receiving on the part of both his wife and the children, Rhett had attacked Scarlett's abilities as a hostess and soon they had been on the verge of each other's throat and would have gotten into a full-fledged argument like the ones they used to have if Scarlett had not made a deliberate effort to control her foul temper and refrain from replying to Rhett's barbs. Rhett had soon followed suit and the argument had been successfully avoided with no lasting harm done. They had been so really close to end up raging and hurt by the other's stinging remarks but it had never happened. Yet, Scarlett had experienced first-hand that Rhett would be no help to quench Rosemary's tyrannical manners and that any negative comment about Miss Butler was more likely than not to incur in her big brother's wrath.

Still, Scarlett was deeply relieved to see that the newcomer was Rhett.

'Rhett!,' she exclaimed as she almost ran to him, forgotten her anger towards Rosemary and pleased to have somebody to pour her attention on while Rosemary broke havoc at the store.

'Are you two having a pleasant morning, my dear?,' Rhett asked, seeing how Rosemary berated the youngest clerk for the third time today.

Scarlett rolled her eyes.

'We are sort of managing.'

'Too busy for having lunch out with me?'

'I thought you would be busy with your bank manager till late into the evening.'

'We finished up earlier than we expected and, anyway, I couldn't give up on the chance to have lunch with two beautiful ladies.'

If only Rosemary didn't have to come with them, tagging along as she had done for days whenever Rhett took her out…

'We would love to go with you, Rhett,' Scarlett accepted his invitation, turning round to look at Rosemary.

'She's giving the poor chap hell,' Rhett noted.

'This has been going on the whole morning,' Scarlett commented non-committal, trying not to sound too critical, lest Rhett should take offence… again.

'Sounds like Rosemary to me,' Rhett chuckled and offered Scarlett his arm. 'Come on, Rosemary, let's go out for lunch,' he called out to his sister.

Scarlett smiled to Rhett, thinking, for the twentieth time already today, about the day when she could kiss Rosemary goodbye for good. Wait and see, she told herself.

The lunch with Rosemary was, strangely enough, quite pleasant. For once, Rosemary was not her usual talkative self, seemingly having said everything she had to say to her heart's content to the store clerks and now being happy with just sitting down, devouring her lunch and listening to Rhett's talk. Scarlett, for one, was delighted at her sister-in-law's new mood and basked in Rhett's polite compliments and enjoyed his funny anecdotes.

Rhett seemed to have loved Scarlett's company as much as she had loved his (silent Rosemary notwithstanding) and, appreciative of her efforts to make Rosemary feel at home, invited her for dinner out, "just the two of them," to reward her attempts at being civil to his sister.

'It's so lovely to be here alone without the children,' Scarlett commented as the main course was being served.

And without Rosemary, she thought, but dared not to say it, out of fear of spoiling Rhett's excellent mood.

'And without my sister,' Rhett jovially added.

Scarlett could not help but laugh. During Rhett's absence, she had almost forgotten how he had the maddening ability of reading her mind and spurting out what she considered her most secret thoughts.

'I didn't say it, though,' Scarlett warned him, playfully.

'You didn't need to. Even I can see that Rosemary sometimes puts a bit of a strain on you.'

'We are getting along,' she tried to reassure him.

'Enough of Rosemary,' Rhett said, as he took Scarlett's hand in his. 'No talk of the children tonight, or of Rosemary,' he offered.

Scarlett nodded, enthusiastically. This is what Rhett and her had been needing ever since he returned from Charleston this time. Sharing the same bed at night had not been enough, she needed to see more of Rhett. That he also longed for her company was a good sign, she told herself and smiled a beaming smile to Rhett.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**


	10. Chapter 10

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 10: "Returning Never to Leave Again"**

Rhett, sitting on a sofa and smoking a cigar, alternatively looked out of the open window into the night and to Scarlett, brushing her hair vigorously before bedtime. Much as he loathed admitting it, even to himself, Rosemary's visit had been a nightmare and a complete mistake from beginning to end. Scarlett and Rosemary had not felt any rapport for each other and no love had been lost between the two of them. Wade and Ella had made plain their dislike for the woman they were forced to call "auntie Rosemary" and Pork had been driving Rhett crazy with his endless complaints about Rosemary's blunt ways around the house, disrupting the order and creating chaos instead.

With Rosemary gone yesterday, the household atmosphere had already improved in a significant manner. Wade and Ella, to begin with, who had avoided their stepfather for days, knowing he would be found almost invariably in Rosemary's company, now sought and fought between them for his undivided attention. Scarlett seemed happier than she had been ever since he returned home from Charleston with his sister and all was well again in the Butler residence.

Rhett stood up and kissed the back of Scarlett's head and stayed there, standing just behind her as she continued with her compulsory one hundred brush strokes before getting into bed. Something was obviously disturbing Scarlett's peace of mind tonight, he could see it plainly from the distant look in her eyes as she looked into the mirror without really registering her own image or that of Rhett's behind her. Whatever it was what was bothering her, he would learn it sooner or later, for Scarlett was never one to bottle up her feelings or thoughts, at least not with him.

"Rhett," Scarlett spoke up and Rhett repressed a smile.

There we go, he thought, Scarlett was going to tell him what troubled her mind right now. He was almost 100% sure that it had something to do with the store now that the source of constant strife and tension his little sister had caused had vanished with her departure. He knew business was not quite going as profitable as it should, in Scarlett's book, at least, and Scarlett had confided to him several months ago that she was toying with the idea of buying the shop next to her own to expand the business in the hopes that a more modern air would bring in more customers again. For that, of course, she would need a loan – she hadn't put it in so many words but Rhett could read between the lines and guess pretty accurately that when her plans materialized, she would prefer to ask him for a loan rather than going straight to the bank. Rhett was more than willing to give Scarlett the money right away with no strings attached and even without any need for Scarlett to later repay it to him but he was bidding his time until Scarlett asked him for it.

'Yes, Scarlett?'

'I have to ask you something, Rhett.'

Love and money, Rhett thought, smiling inwardly.

'Yes, dear?'

Scarlett left the brush carefully on the table. Now that her evil sister-in-law was gone for good, Scarlett had the intention to make the most of her time with Rhett. So happy was Scarlett to see the back of Rosemary that tonight she had not minded Wade and Ella's presence at all, even asking them about their respective school days. However, despite her intentions to enjoy Rhett's company to the fullest, there was a thought at the back of her mind that did not allow her to enjoy the moment. Kissing Rhett goodbye at the train depot, Rosemary had told him 'See you soon in Charleston, brother.' Was it just as farewell address or was Rosemary privy to Rhett's traveling plans in the future? Had Rhett told his sister more than he had told his wife? Had he confided to her that he intended to go to Charleston again soon? And when was 'soon'? And for how long would he be gone this time? Was he leaving them again? These and other terrifying questions ha tormented Scarlett ever since Rosemary's departure. The bliss and joy she should have felt at Rosemary's leaving had been clouded by this terrible state of uncertainty. What if Rhett left her again so soon? She needed him here more than ever and things were going so well, especially after the night Rhett took her out for dinner without Rosemary.

Rhett tapped with his left foot on the carpet to express his impatience at Scarlett's failure to speak.

'Rhett, how long are you staying in Atlanta this time?,' she asked finally, bracing herself for the very worst.

Not being the question that Rhett had been expecting in the very least, he was caught off-guard.

'It depends on you, my dear,' he replied. For once, he tried and was honest with her. Over the years, he had tried a number of approaches to win Scarlett's heart, except for being totally honest with her. Maybe now it was time for yet another change in their brand-new relationship.

'On me?'

'Exclusively on you, Mrs. Butler and if you want me to stay.'

'Of course I do, Rhett. I do not want you to leave but I live in permanent fear that one morning you make up your mind that you've had enough of playing the dutiful husband and doting stepfather and you leave us again,' she argued, feeling she had said too much.

'As long as you behave yourself in the lovely manner you have, my pet, I will stay,' he offered.

'That's not what I meant, Rhett, and you know it. These times you have visited, everything has been just perfect, Rhett, but, in a way, you were just paying us a short visit, free to go without notice whenever you felt like going away again. It is quite easy to be nice to guests, Rhett, but living together, permanently, as a real family, is different. We are bound to argue sometime, much as we try not to let anything ruin the day and I want to be sure that, even if we do argue, you are going to stay around to work things out instead of catching the next train to Charleston.'

Rhett sat down on the edge of the bed.

'That was quite a speech, Mrs. Butler.'

'It's just what I was thinking, Rhett. I need to have some security, to know you will be here tomorrow and next week and next month and even next year.'

'You have me here now.'

'Rhett, I do need to know. Wade and Ella too,' she said, hating herself for bringing up the children now. In the past she had certainly not been too squeamish about using them as weapons to fight Rhett back or as tools to lure him back to the joys of domestic life but this time it was not another cheap excuse.

'Rhett, Ella asks me if you have gone to Charleston already without saying goodbye every time she comes home from school and you are not home. The first thing in the morning that Wade does is running downstairs to see if your coat and hat are still by the door, Rhett.'

Rhett remained uncomfortably silent, for once at a loss for words. Scarlett turned to her mirror.

'I really had no idea, Scarlett,' he eventually said.

'I knew you didn't, Rhett, but I think it is important that you should know how I feel about it, Rhett, and Wade and Ella too,' she added.

Rhett realized that Scarlett's concern for the children was genuine, not as another weapon to win him back.

'You have given me quite a lot of things to consider, Mrs. Butler,' he commented and it was Scarlett's turn to remain silent.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**


	11. Chapter 11

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 11: "A Piece of My Mind"**

Rhett grew increasingly restless over the next few weeks. He knew that Scarlett genuinely meant her words but he could not quite commit himself to take a permanent decision in either sense. He loved Scarlett more than he had ever done before and he hated the idea of hurting her purposefully or of making innocent Wade and Ella suffer if he were to leave again. The way the children had clung to him when he returned home with Rosemary had made it very clear to him how much his absence had scared them and how much they had come to trust him and depend on him again. Even Scarlett, for all her outer show of fortitude, had clung to him more forcefully tan usual, holding his hand especially tighter or hugging him more frequently than usual. Now that Rosemary was gone, Scarlett's clinginess had even increased, and she could only rarely be persuaded to go the store, and, even so, she only went when Rhett himself went into town himself to meet one of his business associates and Scarlett always insisted on his coming to the store to pick her up as soon as his meetings were over.

Rhett understood Scarlett's demands for a definite answer as to the duration of his "visit" but he, never one to give explanations to anybody from an early age, did not feel up to take up that habit at this stage in his life. Had Bonnie still been here, he would have never left, and if left, his absence from his princess would have been a matter of a couple of days, at the very most. As matters stood now, he did not know any more than Scarlett. Other than assuring her (and promising Wade and Ella) that he did not have any plans for leaving as of now, Rhett was utterly reluctant to risk saying something that he may later be forced to recant or withdraw.

If he was being honest with himself, and that was a deeply-rooted habit of his, Rhett could do no other thing than admitting that he had no intention to leave them any time soon – but he had not decided to stay for good either. As he had told Scarlett, as long as things stayed in the pleasant manner he had quickly gotten used to, he saw no reason for cutting his stay short. How long this would be, he did not know, just as he ignored where he would go if things turned awry in is marriage again. He fervently hoped that his never happened and, certainly, this time around things were considerably better than even the first years of their married life, but one could never tell for sure about when such things would change for the worse, not with Scarlett, at least.

The only thing he was really sure of was that he was not going to be around to endure bitter years of harsh recriminations, insulting remarks, hurt and sorrow… That he could not go through and survive, much as he had discovered that he still loved Scarlett. No, this time it was going to be a life of marital bliss or he would leave never to return.

Scarlett could tell that, far from the domestic joy she had been expecting to have once her odious sister-in-law went back to Charleston, Rhett was getting uncomfortable. Rhett, who used to be always working on some kind of project or another, got bore with nothing to do now. Given his shareholding interests in the bank, he could resume his work there but he had shown no intention of doing so this far. Scarlett had politely inquired about it but Rhett had replied something in the sense that, not knowing when his other businesses would take him to Charleston or even further, quite possibly abroad, he did not feel like getting involved with the bank right now, closing any possibility of discussing it any more with her.

Still, she appreciated the effort Rhett had been doing to adjust to family life again. He doted on Ella and helped Wade with his studying and his books, suggesting volumes from their library that he might enjoy and peruse and them discussing them with him, never once running out of patience with either of them, something that could not be said about herself. This, for Scarlett, was almost magic, never one to be in the children's company for longer than an hour – at least, not without getting a headache in the process. Rhett spent hours with Ella in the nursery, playing with her and with her dolls, most of which had once belonged to their little girl who no longer could play with them, and Ella, whose dolls were always uglier, cheaper and more often than not missing a limb or an eye because of the little redhead's abuses, had appropriated Bonnie's dolls. Rhett had never said anything about it as he sat down at the toy table with Ella. He always chose Bonnie's favorite doll to play with, the one he had never allowed Ella to inherit and which he kept in his old bedroom when he was not home. It broke Scarlett's heart to see that big man, on whose face the effects of time and grief had been long irremediably etched, playing with their dead daughter's doll with his stepdaughter, wishing his only child were there but knowing she would never be.

During these past weeks, ever since Rhett began to sleep in her bed, Scarlett had often remembered Dr. Meade's suggestion, made a few years ago, to give Rhett another child as soon as possible. Now Scarlett wondered if that would ever happen. She was herself ambivalent about it, truth to be told. On the one hand, that would keep Rhett put at home forever but she was not too keen on that possibility. She wanted Rhett to stay with her because he loved her and truly recognized her own love for him, not because he felt forced to. Even Bonnie's existence had done nothing to make them happy together, so she knew this much – no new baby would be a guarantee for this present happiness to last. On the other hand, Scarlett was also afraid of not being able to love a new baby. She had loved the baby she lost and Bonnie too but Wade and Ella had never filled her with any maternal instincts. And a baby at her age maybe was not such a good idea. And what about Rhett? Would he feel up to play daddy again? Would he risk loving somebody more than himself – and maybe later losing that little being? So far nothing in that sense had happened and Scarlett was in a way grateful that there were no news to break, no change to make, no decision to take… Wait and see, she told herself again.

Wade knew that Uncle Rhett had been nervous for the past couple of days. He had sent and received a couple of telegrams while Mother was absent, busy at the store. She had not been her usual self either. If after Auntie Melanie died and Uncle Rhett went off to Costa Rica, Mother had kept long hours at the store, sometimes gone already by the time he and Ella woke up and went down for breakfast, only coming home just in time for dinner, now Mother hardly ever went there. Only this week had she eventually agreed to go three mornings in a row, and after much cajoling from Uncle Rhett and a few insistent requests on the part of her store manager to come take care of some pressing business issues that had to be dealt with immediately. And, in any case, Mother was home well by the time he had returned from school. The ledgers in which Mother had so often poured all her attention, now remained largely untouched on a table except for the times when Uncle Rhett was playing with them and then, finally, only then did Mother turn her attention to them.

Also, Mother was not herself, always paying attention to Uncle Rhett's whereabouts or activities when formerly she had not cared whether he was at home or not. Something weird was going on, Wade knew that much for sure.

Ella loved having Uncle Rhett at home, especially now without that horrid Auntie Rosemary, who, she had been told, was Uncle Rhett's sister from Charleston, was gone. Her favorite moment of the day was coming home from school and seeing Uncle Rhett or, if he wasn't home yet from his business in town, being reassured by Mother that he would join them later for dinner. Uncle Rhett was never to busy for her and they had taken tea with her dolls almost everyday. Even Mother had one or twice joined them, although she was not as good a guest for her table as Uncle Rhett was, that was for sure. He made funny voices while Mother was too serious and never played along well; she refused to play any role other than herself and she insisted on being called Mrs. Butler by Ella's dolls. No, she definitely wasn't any fun at all. She so very much preferred to play with Uncle Rhett. She only hoped that he didn't have to leave again.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**


	12. Chapter 12

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 12: "Decisions That Are Hard to Take"**

Rhett Butler lived the following days in a state of false security after his conversation with Scarlett concerning his definite living arrangements or his travel plans, to the contrary. Deluded because Scarlett seemed to have dropped the uncomfortable subject, accepting things as they ran now, it came as a surprise to him when Scarlett, suddenly (or so it seemed to him) brought up the matter again a few days later. He should have known better than this, he berated himself. Once a thought entered that stubborn little mind of hers, Scarlett wouldn't let it droop. Knowing Scarlett as he did, he didn't know how he could have taken for granted that her several-day silence meant her claiming defeat. Certainly the new Scarlett he was learning to know now was a vast improvement over the old Scarlett, but so radical a change was asking for too much.

The fault was all Ella's, Rhett thought with a certain resentment against Scarlett's daughter. Not the brightest of creatures, now Rhett began to understand a bit why Scarlett was always so frustrated with the little girl. If Ella hadn't mentioned if Uncle Rhett would still be around for Mother's birthday, maybe Scarlett would not have touched the subject for a few more days of respite. Yes, the ginger-haired girl could sometimes get at your nerves, even if not intentionally, Scarlett was certainly right about it. But, then, why at the same time did he have the nagging suspicion that Ella's innocent question might have been not so innocent at all? To be honest, he wouldn't put it past his lovely wife to tell Ella to make him that question.

Anyway, one way or another, be it at Scarlett's instigation or caused by Ella's childish innocence, the thing was that the topic had been raised and Scarlett wouldn't drop it so easily as she had previously done. Rhett saw with dismay how the door closed after Wade and Ella, leaving him and Scarlett alone to face the music.

Scarlett stared at Rhett intently, knowing that there was no need for her to echo Ella's question. Why saying it aloud when the question already laid heavily on the minds of both?

'Scarlett, don't ask me for an answer I am not ready to give you,' he tried to avert Scarlett's gaze, moving uncomfortably in his chair.

'I am not asking anymore, Rhett, I am demanding an answer,' she stated, startling him with her forward manner.

'Don't try and coerce me, Scarlett,' he warned.

'This is not a threat but we have to know for sure, Rhett. I don't want you to take us for granted and come and go as you please. If you're going to stay and we are going to start anew, you have to decide it, Rhett. We cannot be postponing it any longer,' she insisted.

Rhett went to pour himself a generous amount of whisky.

'I don't like the idea of being trapped,' he admitted.

'I am not talking about locking you up and throwing the key, for God's sake, Rhett. You are not a prisoner of mine, of course, you can go visit your mother in Charleston or whatever trip you need to make, but we need to know we're going to be a family again and that you will be back. I cannot go on like this any more,' she declared.

Scarlett bit her lip and thought of the little secret she had already began harboring for a couple of days, the secret that would change everything, making whatever decision on the part of Rhett's superfluous. She was perfectly aware of what his reaction would be once he knew, regardless of his having previously declared his intention of going or staying but because that much was not in her power to change, she needed to know that Rhett did want to stay, in spite of his fears of more arguments or the rocky road ahead of them. If he chose to stay, if he proved to her that he truly wanted to be her husband, not only in name, it would make a world of difference to her – even if the final result, to the rest of the world, was just the same. If he on his own (although with a little bit of pressure on her part for him to make up his mind as soon as possible), came to the resolve to stay, the baby would be a welcome bonus. If he chose to leave, then she would be forced to confess to him his future paternity and he would stay all the same – but she would not be able to forget, in her heart of hearts, that he didn't love her enough and had been all too ready to abandon her, always fearing that, should the baby be less than perfect or may something bad happen to the little one, Rhett would be gone and for good this time. No, she would not be able to live that way. Because of that, she **had **to know. She couldn't risk declaring her love for Rhett only to find out he was here out of duty or a certain sense of responsibility. That wouldn't do for her, even if it meant that Rhett stayed in Atlanta all the same.

'Can't we leave the topic alone for tonight, Scarlett?' Rhett asked tiredly.

Scarlett noticed that Rhett's tiredness was not feigned but genuine. The years of dangerously living were at last taking their toll on him and Scarlett had realized as of recently how old and word out Rhett really was. Although he tried his best to conceal it from her and the children and would have surely gotten mad had he seen that Scarlett knew, getting up from the floor after having been playing with Wade and Ella was not so easy for him as it used to, Scarlett had noted. He also went to bed earlier and no longer was the man full of energy who was constantly busy that Scarlett remembered of the war days. Gone were those days and this Rhett was not so energetic or vivacious.

'It's ok, Rhett,' Scarlett conceded graciously. 'We don't need to take any rash decision tonight,' she was generous.

She didn't want to scare Rhett off or make him leave her if he feared she was going to be playing the part of the nagging old wife from now onwards.

'Why don't we call it a day, Scarlett?' Rhett suggested.

He smiled. Peace, at least for the time being, had been restored.

Scarlett smiled back. For today it was fine, but tomorrow would be another day, and, hopefully, if things were as she expected, one in which she would extract from the mighty Rhett Butler a promise to stay with her forever.

Rhett knew, as he sat down on their bed with a sinking heart, that a decision on his part had to be reached and soon enough. He loved Scarlett, oh, how much did he love her. Stubborn, proud Scarlett, his heart was entirely hers, even if she was totally unaware of this circumstance, just as he preferred it.

For the time being, until he could make up his mind, he preferred to keep her guessing, hoping, expecting a love declaration from him… He knew with as much certainty that he loved her that she loved him to distraction. She had restrained her tongue and not told him again since her pitiful and desperate confession the night he left but he could tell that there were times when she was dying to speak her mind. She hadn't uttered a word but her eyes, when he caught her when she believed to be unobserved, said all he had longed to hear from her lips for so many long years… What the hell, he still longed to hear her say it, but he could not give her the satisfaction to say it first. He loved her and he would tell her as much when she told him she loved him, as she would do with almost all probably when he announced to her that he planned to stay forever.

When he announced to her that he planned to stay forever, _**when **_was the operative word. It was not _**if **_he announced to her that he planned to stay forever, but when. There, he had already done it, without even taking a deliberate decision, he had unconsciously decided that he was staying. Yes, he would stay. He couldn't leave Scarlett when things were going that well between them. Never leave when you are winning, he told himself. Therefore, he could not just leave now. Scarlett needed him. No, that was not really the issue because Scarlett didn't really need him at all and that was not the main reason for him to stay. If he was to stay, it was because Scarlett loved him and he loved her back. No more excuses, no more pretences, no more idiotic explanations – he loved Scarlett and she loved him. Only for that was he going to stay.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**

_So, guys, this story is almost coming to an end. One or two more chapters, at the very most. I hate to finish it but it's about time that these two get a well-deserved happy ending. Also, don't worry, I am also beginning to think about another fan fiction story. _


	13. Chapter 13

**RETURNING**

**Chapter 13: "The Joys of Domestic Bliss"**

Rhett Butler walked in fast paces into the dining room, where Scarlett was giving Pork a few instructions about the sitting arrangements for tomorrow's dinner. Rhett had eventually persuaded his wife to host a dinner party for his bank manager and a few of his business associates, plus their respective wives. It had nothing to do with the spectacular parties Scarlett used to throw in the old times but it would be a nice occasion for entertaining again.

'Rhett!,' Scarlett said as she saw his brisk entrance. Rhett, always so calm, always so perfect, acting so impulsively… 'What's the matter with you, Rhett?'

'May we talk alone, Scarlett?'

'It has to be now?'

'Yes, please.'

Scarlett gave a few instructions to Pork and dismissed him. Rhett took her by the arm and led her to their bedroom, afraid of staying downstairs and be interrupted by servants asking for further instructions, Wade asking him for help with his homework, Ella wanting him to play house with her…

'So, what's the hurry, Rhett?, Scarlett asked him as he locked the door. 'And why the secrecy? You haven't told me a single word in all the way upstairs,' she noted.

Rhett exhaled. Now or never and there was no easy way to say it.

'Scarlett, I am staying,' he simply said.

A bright smile appeared on Scarlett's face.

'For one moment you had me worried with all this urgency and silence, Rhett,' she admitted and went to hug him. 'Oh, Rhett, I love you so much,' she said, relief apparent in her voice.

Rhett was staying, her little secret could now be disclosed and all would be perfect in the Butler household because, even if some (minor, she hoped) problems arose in the future, Rhett would stay, nevertheless. They would be a real family.

Rhett kissed the top of her head.

'Happy, Mrs. Butler?'

'Very.'

Rhett held her even closer.

'I meant what I said before, Scarlett. I don't want this to turn into a repeat of the old time3s.'

'Neither do I, Rhett.'

Rhett clug her hand firmly.

'This calls for a celebration,' he said.

'Having you around is all the celebration I want, Rhett.'

Rhett blinked, moved by Scarlett's sincerity. Scarlett, always so eager to celebrate anything with a lavish dinner out or get a present to mark any special occasion, had genuinely changed.

'Shall we tell the children?,' she asked.

'I don't think that's necessary, Scarlett. They'll see us together and learn that I am not going anywhere.'

Scarlett nodded.

'I hope you won't change your mind.'

'Believe me, my dear, I won't,' he said solemnly, kissing her and giving her a reassuring hug.

Scarlett smiled. Everything was going to be all right.

The dinner party with Rhett's business associates had been a success, Scarlett reflected the following day as she had a late breakfast with Rhett in their bedroom after Wade and Ella had gone to school. It had been a far cry form the flashy parties she had given to her distasteful friends in the early days of her marriage. Rhett's friends were polite and nice, even though one of them was a Yankee from Boston and their wives, although they were too soberly and matronly dressed for Scarlett's taste, were elegant enough and had a pleasant conversation. Scarlett had learned that the bank manager and his wife had two sons about Wade's age and she had made a mental note that it would be convenient for Wade to get to meet them, especially since it was clear to her that Rhett was not too keen of his stepson frequenting the company of Beau Wilkes much.

All in all, it had been a nice affair and she expected to host a similar dinner party soon, although who knew when it would be, considering her current state and the confinement to which she would soon be forced. She should be telling Rhett anytime now that she knew he was hers but she wanted to enjoy a few more days of marital bliss and domestic harmony before breaking the news to her husband. She did not want Rhett to think she had somehow tricked him by not telling him about her pregnancy while pressuring him to make up his mind and, moreover, she was afraid of what his reaction might be. Would he be appalled or would he feel happy? Would he say anything or would he just accept the news with resignation?

Scarlett was so immersed in her thoughts that she did not even hear Rhett coming into their bedroom and was only aware of his presence when he lightly touched her right cheek.

'Tired, my dear?,' he asked tenderly.

'Not really, Rhett,' she said.

Rhett lovingly kissed the top of her head.

'We should do this more often, Mrs. Butler.'

'I was thinking the same just as you entered the room. Don't you think that Mrs. Gardiner is a very nice woman? I know my mother wouldn't in a million years have called her a lady but she's quite pleasant to talk to all the same. Didn't you think so too, Rhett?

'I was thinking of more pleasurable things, actually,' he said as he went into his dressing room to change into his nightclothes.

'Oh, Rhett,' said Scarlett, blushing when she saw Rhett's broad grin.

'And, anyway, I don't plan on receiving much.'

'Why not, Rhett? I thought we had had fun with them.'

'See, Scarlett, I had been counting on you and I going on a little voyage,' he explained, returning in his robe. 'We enjoyed ourselves a lot during our honeymoon in New Orleans and I thought we could go somewhere again to mark our reconciliation. There are some things I have to work out first, loose ends to tie that will take me a few months, two or three at the most, so we wouldn't be leaving immediately. What do you say, Scarlett? Would you like to go abroad, to London maybe? Or would you prefer that we go to New Orleans first for a couple of weeks before heading to the Old World?'

Scarlett bit her lip. She didn't plan to tell Rhett about her delicate situation so soon but she couldn't mislead him either, letting him make elaborate plans for a trip she knew she would be in no condition to take part in.

'Are you ok, Scarlett? I thought you'd be a little bit more enthusiastic about this but we can always drop the idea altogether if it is not of your liking.'

Rhett looked at her strangely. What happened to Scarlett? Why didn't she react at all? He had thought (wrongly, as it had turned out) that she would love the idea of their going anywhere together. After all, she had hardly left Atlanta and seen the world in her entire life. Had she grown so homey or was it that, despite her profession of love, she didn't feel like spending several months alone in his company?

'Rhett, look, I'd love to go to New Orleans or to London with you…,' she began haltingly.

'So?,' he prompted her to go on, rather brusquely.

'Rhett, I… you should know that I… we… well, you…,' Scarlett hated her inarticulateness and felt how her cheeks blushed. 'I won't be up to traveling for so long.'

'Why? Are you worried about leaving Wade and Ella alone? They'll be well looked after and, if necessary, we could always wait until school is over and bring them with us,' he generously offered.

Of course, with the children tagging along, it would be a far cry form the romantic honeymoon he had in mind, but he could live with it.

'It is not anything like that, Rhett.'

'So what's the problem with you, Scarlett?,' he asked getting closer and holding Scarlett's hands in his.

Scarlett decided to say it without any more circumvention.

'Look, Rhett, I… I am expecting a child.'

'Are you?,' was Rhett's automatic reply.

'Yes, Rhett, I am completely sure of it.'

Rhett's face went blank and Scarlett's heart stopped beating for a second before he smiled broadly. Then she let a long sigh out.

'Those are the most wonderful news, Scarlett, and the best reason to cancel all the trips in the world,' he said and kissed her.

'Are you happy with it, Rhett?'

'Of course I am,' he assured her.

'Rhett, I was so afraid that you wouldn't like this to happen.'

'Aren't you happy, Scarlett?'

'Oh, yes, Rhett, I am so happy… I was only afraid for you. I love you so much, Rhett.'

'I love you too, Scarlett,' he said and kissed her passionately.

Scarlett's heart leaped with joy – everything was going to be all right.

**~TO BE CONTINUED~**

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, just the epilogue to go, guys.**_


	14. EPILOGUE

**RETURNING**

**EPILOGUE**

Scarlett opened the door to the nursery, alerted by the children's loud yelling. To her surprise, it was Rhett the one screaming the most.

'But Mr. Butler!,' Scarlett feigned being mad at him for the havoc they were wrecking but was unable to repress her laughter.

Rhett stood up, taking four-year-old James in his arms while two-year-old Elizabe4th continued playing with Ella. Scarlett smiled at the familiar semblance of Elizabeth playing with Bonnie's old doll, now in worse shape for the use and abuse that the little raven-haired girl, so similar to Bonnie except for her emerald green eyes, inflicted on the poor doll.

'Come with Mother,' Scarlett said, taking James in her arms and kissing him in the forehead.

'May I help you, Mrs. Butler?'

'I have a business problem. Could you come with me?'

'Sure.'

Rhett followed Scarlett, still with James in her arms, to her small office, where she pointed out the trouble with the ledgers of the mills. Eventually, after Ashley's disastrous management, Rhett had bought them back for Scarlett as a gift after Elizabeth's birth on the condition that she did not devote all her energies to the running of her businesses while neglecting their family. She certainly loved having the mills back and had worked very hard, along with Rhett, to make them take off again but she had made sure she never missed anything in her youngest children's lives.

With a few firm strokes, Rhett corrected the small mistakes that had baffled Scarlett, driving her crazy, for the past hour.

'Here you have,' Rhett said, putting the fountain pen down.

'Thank you so much, Rhett,' Scarlett said, grateful, kissing him lightly.

Rhett sat down and, relaxed, lit a cigar. Scarlett looked at him; the years had been kind to him, all in all. Of course, Rhett looked his age but he no longer was the broken, tired man he had been when he first came home to visit them during their separation, so long ago. He was still a rather handsome man and James and Elizabeth had given him a second youth.

'Do you know what day is today, Scarlett?'

Scarlett looked disconcerted. What could it be? She was pretty sure that she hadn't forgotten any important date.

'You have me there, Rhett,' she admitted.

'Today five years ago I came home never to leave.'

'Really? I have already lost track.'

'I haven't. I count every single day since I returned,' Rhett confessed.

'Sometimes I cannot still believe you are never going to leave,' she teases.

'Wait and see,' Rhett told her and kissed her passionately.

**~THE END~**


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